Sarkarai Pongal

By Smt. Hema Ravi (Taken from Sri Simham Issue 9)

As Andal mentions in the 27th paasuram in Thiruppavai, “Koodarai vellum seer Govinda”, the Sakkarai Pongal will now be in a “mooda nei peidhu muzhangkai vazhi vaara” state (Ghee from the Pongal will flow in our hands to forearm). The 27th day of Margazhi month signifies completion of Paavai nombu, whereby we will wear new clothes, adorn ourselves with jewellery and partake the Sakkarai Pongal prasadam.

There would be a slight variation to Sakkarai Pongal prepared on Pongal day, wherein washed rice and daal mixture with water will be added to the boiled milk in the new Pongal paanai (mud pot) or venkala paanai (bronze pot). Rice mixture is cooked in the open cooking method with stirring at regular intervals. Once rice is cooked, add the pound of jaggery. Once mixed well, keep adding ghee and finally add the roasted cashews.

Notes:

• Paagu vellam (jaggery) is best, while regular jaggery works too.
• 1 cup of boiled milk could also be added to mash rice and daal together before it is added to the getti paagu, to enhance the taste.
• Adjust the jaggery and ghee quantities as per taste requirements.
• Taste is further enhanced when Sakkarai Pongal is prepared in a venkala paanai (Bronze pot)

The Ingredients

• Raw rice – 1 cup
• Yellow moong daal – 1/4 cup
• Jaggery – 2.5 to 3 cups
• Ghee – 1 to 1.5 cups
• Cashews – as required
• Cardamom powder – 1 tsp
• Edible camphor (pachai karpooram) – a pinch (optional)
• Pound nutmeg – 1/2 tsp (optional)

The method

1. Roast the cashews in ghee and keep aside.
2. Pressure cook rice and moong daal together with 4 cups of water upto 6 whistles (with 3 whistles on lower flame)
3. In the meantime, in a wide pan, bring a pound of jaggery to a boil with about 1.5 cups of water. Once the entire jaggery has dissolved, strain it using a clean cloth for any impurities.
4. Clean the pan and spoon for any impurities, and add back the strained jaggery water.
5. Keep boiling the jaggery water. It would first reach a thread consistency (as the spoon is lifted, the last bit of jaggery from the spoon would drop like a thin thread).
6. Continue to boil on a lower flame until it reaches the getti paagu (thick syrup) consistency. Take a little bit of paagu (syrup) and drop it into a bowl of water. It will instantly cool down. Pick it up and try to roll it between your fingers. It shouldn’t disintegrate in water and should roll up into a perfect ball. This is the consistency the syrup needs to reach, to be ready for the pongal. Turn off the flame once the paagu consistency is reached.
7. Soon after the pressure is reduced, open the cooker and mash the rice mixture. Add some ghee to the mashed mixture so that there are no lumps.
8. Add the mashed rice mixture to the paagu and cook on a low flame. Jaggery will become slightly watery now. Add the remaining ghee in small batches till it is fully absorbed.
9. Soon after it reaches semi-solid consistency, turn off the flame.
10. Add the roasted cashews, cardamom powder, pound nutmeg and pachai karpooram to Sakkarai Pongal and mix well. Sakkarai Pongal is now ready to be served to Perumal!